Gordon Brown on Sunday said the large economies were close to agreeing a global tax on banks that would cost the financial sector billions of pounds a year but played down expectations that a deal could be struck at the next Group of 20 meeting in June.

The UK prime minister, who held talks with Angela Merkel, German chancellor, last week, said the scene was set for a ­“global responsibility levy”.

He said Britain, France and Germany were now broadly agreed on the need for a levy, and he hoped the US would come on board.

“Britain, France and Germany have talked about what we can do together,” he said. “We are agreed on the need for a common basis.”